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Halloween: Resurrection
| screenplay = | story = Larry Brand | based on = | starring = | music = Danny Lux | cinematography = David Geddes | editing = Robert A. Ferretti | studio = | distributor = Dimension Films | released = | runtime = 90 minutes | country = United States | language = English | budget = $13 million | gross = $37.7 million }} Halloween: Resurrection is a 2002 American slasher film directed by Rick Rosenthal, who had also directed Halloween II in 1981. Larry Brand and Sean Hood devised the screenplay. The film stars Busta Rhymes, Bianca Kajlich, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Ryan Merriman, Sean Patrick Thomas, Tyra Banks and Jamie Lee Curtis. The eighth installment in the ''Halloween'' franchise, it follows Michael Myers continuing his murderous rampage in his hometown of Haddonfield, when his old, derelict childhood home is used for a live internet horror show. Halloween: Resurrection was released on July 12, 2002 to largely negative reviews, with many considering it to be an unnecessary sequel to Halloween H20: 20 Years Later. Despite the film's negative reception, Resurrection was a minor box office success, earning $37.7 million. Although more sequels were planned to follow Resurrection, the series was eventually rebooted with Rob Zombie's Halloween in 2007. Plot On October 31, 1998, Laurie Strode accidentally kills a paramedic with whom her brother Michael Myers had swapped clothes—crushing the paramedic's larynx so that he could not talk—and is committed to the Grace Andersen Sanitarium. Three years later, on October 31, 2001, Michael shows up, breaches the facility and kills two security guards, as he makes his way to Laurie. After a chase, Laurie lures Michael on to the institution's rooftop. Although he falls into her trap, Laurie's fears of again killing the wrong person get the better of her; when she tries to remove his mask, Michael attacks her. He kills Laurie by stabbing her and throwing her off the roof, then returns to Haddonfield. One year later, on October 31, 2002, college students Bill Woodlake, Donna Chang, Jen Danzig, Jim Morgan, Rudy Grimes, and Sara Moyer win a competition to appear on an Internet reality show Dangertainment, directed by Freddie Harris and his friend, Nora Winston, in which they have to spend a night in Michael's abandoned childhood house in order to figure out what led him to kill. On Halloween, equipped with head-cameras as well as the cameras throughout the house, they enter the house and separate into three groups. Sara's messaging friend Deckard watches the broadcast during a Halloween party. Michael suddenly appears and kills Bill, and cameraman Charlie. Donna and Jim discover a wall filled with fake corpses and realise the show is a setup. Myers kills Donna; at the party, Deckard and other partygoers witness the murder, and only Deckard realizes that the murder was real. Later that night, Freddie goes through the house dressed as Michael, but is secretly followed by the real Michael. Freddie, mistaking Michael for Charlie, tells him to go to the garage and help Nora out; he goes to the garage and promptly kills Nora. When Rudy, Sara, and Jim find Freddie in the Myers costume, he reveals the scheme to them and begs them to cooperate, telling them that he has set up a nice payday for all of them. When he leaves, the trio decides to gather up the other three and leave. Jen discovers the body of Bill and is decapitated by Myers right in front of Rudy, Sara, and Jim. Michael kills Jim and Rudy before chasing Sara upstairs. Locking herself in a bedroom, Sara begs for Deckard to help her. The other party goers realise that the deaths were real. With Deckard messaging her Myers' location, Sara escapes and is found by Freddie. Myers finds and attacks them. Michael subdues Freddie and Sara makes her way to the tunnels. She finds an exit near Donna's body and emerges in the garage, where Michael finds her and starts an electrical fire in the garage. Freddie appears and begins fighting Michael hand-to-hand, before finally electrocuting him, and carrying Sara out of the burning garage. Michael’s house burns to the ground, as Sara thanks Deckard for saving her life. Michael's body and the bodies of his victims are taken to the morgue. As the medical examiner begins to examine Michael's body, he awakens. Cast * Busta Rhymes as Freddie Harris * Bianca Kajlich as Sara Moyer * Thomas Ian Nicholas as Bill Woodlake * Ryan Merriman as Myles "Deckard" Barton * Sean Patrick Thomas as Rudy Grimes * Tyra Banks as Nora Winston * Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode * Brad Loree as Michael Myers * Katee Sackhoff as Jennifer "Jen" Danzig * Daisy McCrackin as Donna Chang * Luke Kirby as Jim Morgan * Lorena Gale as Nurse Wells * Marisa Rudiak as Nurse Phillips * Brent Chapman as Franklin Munroe * Dan Joffre as Willie Haines * Gus Lynch as Harold Trumble * Haig Sutherland as Aron * Brad Sihvon as Charlie Albans * Rick Rosenthal as Professor Mixter Production The writers of Halloween H20: 20 Years Later were left with a dilemma when Jamie Lee Curtis wanted to end the series, but Moustapha Akkad had a clause that legally wouldn't allow the writers to kill Michael Myers off. According to the Blu-ray released by Scream Factory, Curtis almost left the project just weeks before filming, until Kevin Williamson came up with the paramedic storyline and presented it to Akkad. Curtis finally agreed to be a part of the film under the condition that no footage hinting toward a sequel would be presented by the film, and that the audience would believe that Michael was dead until the inevitable sequel was announced. Resurrection s first shot of Michael in the paramedic uniform was filmed the day after H20 s principal photography ended, according to H20 s editor, Patrick Lussier. Both Whitney Ransick and Dwight H. Little were approached to direct the film but turned it down. Later Rick Rosenthal, the director of Halloween II, was chosen to direct. During the casting period of the film, producers considered Danielle Harris (who played Jamie Lloyd in Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers and Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers) for a role in the film. In post-production, Bianca Kajlich's screams had to be dubbed because of her inability to scream. The film's trailer was delivered on April 26, 2002, with the release of Jason X. Principal photography began in Vancouver, British Columbia on May 14, 2001 with the opening scene filmed at Riverview Hospital in Coquitlam, BC. Music For this eighth installment of the series, Danny Lux created a genuine score relying upon the original instead of generating something new. He approaches the score with an electro-acoustic feel that dates back to the synthesizer scores of the '80s.Halloween: Resurrection Music Review at Music from the Movies The film also features several rap and hip-hop songs. In direct contrast to general critical reviews of the film, some assessments of its sound and theme music have been praising. For example, critic Steve Newton complimented the film's "creepy" and "unsettling" revival of the original iconic theme, while criticising the film itself, as well as the rap tracks included. Reception Box office Halloween: Resurrection was released on July 12, 2002 in the US to moderate reception which did not change in its later international release. The film peaked at #4 on its opening weekend on US screens raking in $12,292,121 behind Reign of Fire, Road to Perdition and Men in Black II. It grossed $30,354,442 domestically and a further $7,310,413 for a moderate $37,664,855 worldwide gross.Halloween: '' at Box Office Mojo Critical response The film received highly unfavorable reviews from several critics. It has garnered a score of 11% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 62 reviews, with the site's consensus being: "The only thing this tired slasher flick may resurrect is nostalgia for when the genre was still fresh and scary." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 19 out of 100, based on 17 reviews, indicating “overwhelming dislike”. Lou Lumenick of the ''New York Post said, "It's so devoid of joy and energy it makes even Jason X look positively Shakespearian by comparison." Dave Kehr of The New York Times said, "Spectators will indeed sit open-mouthed before the screen, not screaming but yawning."Halloween: Resurrection Movie Review at New York Times Peter Travers of Rolling Stone said, "Every sequel you skip will be two hours gained. Consider this review life-affirming." Joe Leydon of Variety said, "Seems even more uselessly redundant and shamelessly money-grubbing than most third-rate horror sequels." Glenn Lovell of the San Jose Mercury News was slightly more positive: "No, it's not as single-minded as John Carpenter's original, but it's sure a lot smarter and more unnerving than the sequels." Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale. See also *List of films featuring surveillance References External links * * * * * 8 Category:2002 horror films Category:American slasher films Category:2000s sequel films Category:2000s slasher films Category:American films Category:English-language films Category:Films set in the 1990s Category:Films set in the 2000s Category:Films set in abandoned houses Category:Reality television series parodies Category:Films set in Illinois Category:Films set in psychiatric hospitals Category:American sequel films Category:Dimension Films films Category:2002 films Category:American serial killer films Category:Sororicide in fiction Category:Films directed by Rick Rosenthal Category:Films shot in Vancouver Category:Posttraumatic stress disorder in fiction